Middle Eastern militiamen
The Militia Soldiers are comprised of several ethnic minorities around the Middle East fighting off the Praying Mantis PMC which are 'restoring' governmental control to the area. The militia are very inexperienced in battle which is why they have hired several instructors from smaller PMCs to train and lead them in battle against Praying Mantis although they still tend to lose many men compared to the number of Praying Mantis troops lost. In battle, the militia can be seen cowering behind cover and often times firing blindly at PMC's. They can be seen firing from the hip instead of from the shoulder, thus proving their inexperience in combat. Given that they lack the use of SOP, this gives them a huge disadvantage against the Praying Mantis PMC as evident where a many were shot down with ease by the PMC troops despite vastly larger numbers. Lack of SOP also proves why the Militiamen tend to be more cowardly in battle and without the instructors, they often lose morale easily and fight much less efficiently. This is evident when a full squad of them fought against the Beauty and the Beast Unit and several of them immediately ran for safety only to be killed by Raging Raven. Solid Snake can make friends or enemies with the soldiers depending on his actions on the battlefield. By default, Snake's relationship the militia is neutral. Equipment The Militia Soldiers in the Middle East are seen mainly using AK-102s, RPG-7s, and Molotov cocktails. In very rare cases they also use the HK21E. They lack a sidearm which gives them a large disadvantage in combat. They often wear shemagh scarfs, bullet/ammunition belts around their chest and waist, t-shirts, camouflage jackets, backpacks, and harnesses. They enter the battlefield via cargo trucks. In the Crescent Meridian, just before the area where the Praying Mantis PMC camp is located, they use a bulldozer and a tank to plow through barricades and get through heavy PMC resistance. Cargo trucks have also been seen used to carry troops into the battle zone (one zone leading to many losses however) and another bulldozer was seen used, being escorted by a squad of Militia soldiers although the vehicle itself was abandoned when the group was attacked (and wiped out save for the driver who escaped in time) by the Beauty and the Beast Unit. Instructors The Militia Instructors were hired by the militia forces to lead and train them in battle against Praying Mantis. The instructors wear gray tactical vests and white robes along with chocolate chip camouflaged tactical pants and black gloves. As noted earlier, the militia soldiers fire from the hip whereas the instructors can be seen firing from the shoulder with much better accuracy. In combat the instructors give out tactics via hand signals similar to the more advanced PMC soldiers under Outer Heaven (Mother Company). Solid Snake infiltrates the battlefield via militia cargo truck disguised as a Militia Instructor. Snake later loses his disguise when being chased by two Metal Gear Gekkos (IRVING) but can later retrieve a new instructor uniform in a locker found in the militia underground safehouse. Background Not unlike the Mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (mentioned by Ocelot in MGS), they are a local PMC hired to fight against the current the regime in power. Most of them are from the region itself but it was more than ethnic ties that prompted them to pick up their guns. The region suffers from chronic high unemployment with lots of households just barely scraping by. Children who grow up in this kind of environment don't have a chance to get a decent education, and there aren't enough opportunities for them to go abroad and find work, either. So PMCs are one of the few options they have to earn a living which they go out and risk their lives for. While not a respectable trade by any measure, one cannot condemn them for the position they are in. During the Cold War, the Middle East was the site of proxy wars between the two superpowers. Now that it's over, the ethnic conflicts that were simmering beneath the surface have erupted into full-scale civil wars. Even today the political situation is fragile. The land and it's people have been ravaged and exhausted by years of constant warfare. With food scarce and the economy near collapse, the region is barely being kept afloat by aid from developed nations. Despite all this, the local governments are still hiring PMCs to put down these anti-government militias, or "terrorists" as they call them. Category:Rebel Groups